E-Newsletter

Why You'll Love the Sound of Alabama

9/6/2016
— By The Budget Travel Editors

1 / 10 Photos

Pepper Place Farmers Market, Birmingham, AL

Photograph by Caleb Chancey

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia celebrates Alabama’s musical greats. Among them is the peerless singer-songwriter Hank Williams, native of Mount Olive, who formed the Drifting Cowboys and used to perform on a local radio station in the early 1940s before making his way to Nashville and country music history.

Photograph by Caleb Chancey

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame celebrates the music of Hank Williams Jr.; the state's titular band, Alabama; and Tuskegee native Lionel Richie, whose work with the Commodores and as a solo artist had an indelible impact on the music of the 70s and 80s.

Photograph by Caleb Chancey

The Swampette Music Tour and its Trolley of Tunes is a don’t-miss experience for lovers of music history. Guests stop at many great musical hotspots throughout Muscle Shoals and Florence, famous for being the birthplace of legendary rockabilly producer Sam Phillips and the Father of Blues himself, W.C. Handy.

Courtesy Florence Convention & Visitors Bureau

Saturn, in Birmingham, is a lively music venue offering everything from major acts like Dinosaur Jr. to up-and-coming bands and even a hip-hop open mic.

Photograph by Caleb Chancey

The Satellite, Saturn’s spacious neighborhood bar, is one of our favorites for craft beer, cocktails and Stumptown coffee before or after the show.

Photograph by Caleb Chancey

Florence’s 116 East Mobile music venue is leading the movement to bring more live music to the Muscle Shoals community, already renowned for its great recording studios.

Photograph by Caleb Chancey

The Shoals Theatre in Florence was originally a movie house founded in 1948, but these days it presents local and touring bands, theatrical productions and more.

Photograph by Caleb Chancey

The musical acts at Soul Kitchen are as diverse as Mobile's community itself, with artists performing country, folk, soul and pop.

Courtesy Soul Kitchen Music Hall

Mobile Records is on the forefront of the vinyl resurgence, offering a wide array of music with a staff that gets high marks for its knowledge, enthusiasm and service.

Photograph by Caleb Chancey

From red-hot live music to great festivals and one of America’s finest recording traditions, Alabama is truly a feast for the ears.

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